Indonesian tennis star Janice Tjen is scheduled to compete against American player Peyton Stearns in the opening round of the 2026 Italian Open. The pairing was confirmed following the tournament draw conducted on Monday afternoon, May 4, 2026, for the WTA 1000 event held at the Foro Italico.
The upcoming match marks the first career meeting between the two athletes on the WTA Tour. Tjen, currently 23 years old, enters the competition ranked 40th in the world, while Stearns holds the 49th position in the global rankings according to tournament data.
The Italian Open represents the sixth WTA 1000 tournament for Tjen in the 2026 calendar year. She arrives in Rome seeking a stronger performance after a second-round exit at the Madrid Open last week, where she was defeated by world number 20 Liudmila Samsonova.
During the Madrid campaign at the Caja Magica, Tjen lost in straight sets with scores of 6-2 and 6-1. Her focus has now shifted to the clay courts of the Blue Continent to improve upon her season records, which include appearances in Qatar, Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami.
The winner of the Tjen-Stearns match is slated to face 17th-ranked Madison Keys in the second round. Keys, also from the United States, received a first-round bye as part of the tournament structure reported by voi.id.
Further along the bracket, 10th seed Victoria Mboko of Canada looms as a potential third-round opponent. The 2026 Italian Open is scheduled to take place from May 5 to May 17, 2026, as Tjen aims to surpass her season-best reach of the third round achieved in Dubai.
